In Days Gone By

The man who best described the now extinct life aboard a steamer on the Mississippi River is mark Twain. Having actually worked aboard the river boats, his writing captures the tranquil or turbulent events of those days. In his book about life on the Mississippi, Twain recalls the idyllic times when man was not in such a great deals with the races conducted between the swiftest of the boats. When a race was set, the excitement would galvanize activity along the river. Politics and the weather were forgotten, and people talked with gusto only of the coming race. The two steamers “stripped” and got ready; every that might slow the passage was removed. Captains went to extremes to lighten their boats. Twain write of one captain who scraped the paint from the gaudy figure which hung between the chimney of his steamer.

extinct- punah

aboard- di dalam (kapal)

steamer- kapal uap

tranquil- tenang

turbulent- bergolak

recall- mengenang

idyllic- sangat indah

swiftest- tercepat

galvanize- membangkitkan

gusto – semangat, nafsu, animo

gaudy- extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless.